They stood for Freedom
by captainkodak1
Summary: Kim and Ron help Mr. Barkin for Veteran's Day.


Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are the property of the Disney Co.

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Kim and Ron were moving quickly down the hall, they were late for class and they were quietly trying to get to class before they got caught. The sharp voice of Mr. Barkin rang out in the empty hall "Possible, Stoppable, this is the second time you have been in the hall after the bell. My office, 5 minutes after the last bell, be there." Kim and Ron looked at each other in despair. Rufus sighed from Ron's pocket because their after school trip to Bueno Nacho was now in jeopardy. Mr. Barkin had really been tough on everyone this week, and they were just the recipients of his mood.

"Great" said Ron "there goes our afternoon snackage. Sorry little buddy, no nachos today."

Kim sighed as they entered their class "Well, maybe it won't be that bad."

Kim and Ron sat in Barkin's office right after the last bell of the day. He had been called out of his office and they waited for his return. His office was organized to military perfection; there were pictures on the wall of men in army fatigues among the diplomas and certificates. Kim and Ron knew that Mr. Barkin had been in the army and had faced extreme hardship on one particular mission. On that particular mission, he had won the Medal of Honor. There was one particular picture of a group of men together with a man that looked like a younger Mr. Barkin.

Mr. Barkin came into the room and moved to sit behind his desk. He sat down and glared at Kim and Ron, while not saying a word. Kim and Ron almost wilted under his glare. Kim started to speak "Mr. Bark..." Barkin interrupted her "Miss Possible, when I need you to speak, I will tell you." Kim wilted and bowed her head, turning a slight tint of red. "Yes, sir" she said quietly. The two teens waited for what seemed an eternity for Mr. Barkin to speak. "Miss Possible, Mr. Stoppable, you appear to be having trouble getting to class on time. Because of your unique situation with what you do and that sometimes you have to contact that young man on the terminal in your lockers, I will just give you a warning. Please don't disappoint me."

"Yes, sir" The two teens said in unison.

"Mr. Barkin, may I ask you a question?" Kim asked.

"Yes, Miss Possible, what is it?" asked Mr. Barkin.

"Is this the unit you served with in the army?" Kim asked.

"Yes, it is, and there was never a finer group of men". Barkin said.

"Mr. Barkin", asked Ron, "Is this private that you told me about."

For the first time Kim and Ron saw Mr. Barkin smile. "Yes, Ron, that is the young man we had that discussion about."

Kim looked at Ron with a questioning look on her face.

Ron explained to Kim "I was helping Mr. Barkin clean up in here and I asked him about this picture." Kim didn't catch the look that passed between Ron and Mr. Barkin.

Kim asked "Mr. Barkin, do you ever get together with your men?"

"I wish I could Miss Possible, but I have lost contact with some of them and even then most of them could not afford to get here. Did you know that our commanding officer is buried here. He was a fine man. He was killed just a few days after that picture. Yes, it would be great to see those guys, but it is not possible. If you two don't mind, I need to check the gym." He got up and left the room. "I am sure that you can find your way out. Remember, no more tardies to any class"

"Yes, sir" the teens said together.

Kim smiled to herself, "not possible, hmm, anything is possible for a Possible." She pulled out her Kimmunicator. "Wade, can you scan this picture and find out who they are by tracing data from Mr. Barkin's unit data?"

"No problem, Kim" Wade said "What do you need the data for?"

Kim smiled over to Ron "How about giving Mr. Barkin a surprise?" She asked Ron. Ron realizing what she was going to do and just nodded with a big smile. Rufus came out of Ron pocket and said "Surprise!"

"Wade, I need you to call in any and all favors I've got. Then I need....." Kim and Ron left the room as Kim spoke to Wade on the Kimmunicator. The two teens left school to plan their surprise for Mr. Barkin.

Wade called Kim back later in the day. "Kim, I have those names, most are in the state, the others are close by. Why do you need the names?"

Kim told Wade of her plans "I want to get all of those men here in Middleton for a reunion so that they can celebrate Veteran's Day together. We want to do it for Mr. Barkin. We can set them up at the Middleton Inn with a dinner the night before and invitations to all the events and the parade on Veteran's Day."

Wade smiled and said "OK, Kim, I get the idea. I will get back to you in a bit and let you know what I have been able to set up."

Ron looked at Kim "KP, I have an idea to surprise Mr. Barkin. Let's get all the men at the dinner then call Mr. Barkin that a student has gotten into trouble at the Inn. We will tell him to come to the private dining room and let his men surprise him."

"Good idea, Ron" said Kim, "you can handle that part."

The next day Wade called Kim "Kim, everything is set. All of the men will be there. They know that it is a surprise for Mr. Barkin. They have set up the rest of the details themselves. I told them of Ron's plan and they loved it. They said to have him there at 7:00 that night."

Kim and Ron met the men at the Inn the day of the dinner. Veteran's Day was the next day. One of the men was named John Grady or as he told the two teens "just call me Grady".

"Mr. Grady, thank you for coming. I know that this will be a big surprise for Mr. Barkin." Said Kim.

Grady smiled at Kim "Miss Possible, I want to thank you for setting this up. I haven't seen the Big B in many years. That is what we called him, Big B. He was one of the best LTs we had. He may have been young but he took care of us. When he and Ted were captured we were sure that was the end of them. Then the two of them escaped. Ted lost his leg and Big B got the Medal of Honor. Our unit commander Captain Davis was killed just a few day before the mission were Big B and Ted got captured. LT Barkin keep the unit together until that day. Then Barkin and Ted went on the mission where they were captured. The group of us here were not on that mission that day."

"I am going to call Mr. Barkin now" said Ron.

Grady laughed "I love the idea Mr. Stoppable here has. I am sure Big B will come charging in here in no time at all." He turned to the assembled men and called out. "Get ready guys, Big B is going to come charging in that door in just a minute like the big bull he is."

Ron called Mr. Barkin and within a few minutes he came striding into the dining room. Instead of a student in trouble, he found himself swamped in a group of cheering men. Kim and Ron watched from the window of the serving room door. Mr. Barkin grabbed each of the men and gave each a huge bear hug. His face was one of pure joy at seeing all of the men present. Kim and Ron left quietly with plans for one more event on Veteran's Day.

Mr. Barkin and his friends stood at the grave of their captain. They had had a wonderful dinner the night before and had spent the entire day attending the Veteran's Day events, just remembering and having a good time together. It had taken sometime for the men to explain how they came to be there. When he found out what Kim and Ron had done Mr. Barkin had just smiled. He took the time to tell his former comrades the story of Team Possible and the two students that made up the team. Now he and his men were standing at Captain Davis's grave. He had been buried in Middleton Gardens at his request. They all stood at attention and gave a salute to their fallen comrade. They were together for the first time in a long time, sharing what only they could share. Sharing that emotion known to only those who have worn the uniform of their country. They turned to go and saw Ron and Kim standing at a respectful distance. Ron was dressed in a dark suit and Kim was wearing a modest black dress and boots. She held a small bouquet of flowers and a small American flag. Ron and Kim stepped forward and Kim knelt to place the flowers on the grave of Captain Davis and place the flag next to it. Ron stood at her side and helped her back up. Grady stepped forward and removed his hat. "Miss. Possible, I want to thank you for what you have done for us. I don't know how you did it, but I thank you. We all have heard of you and Ron. Big B here has been telling us of the things that the two of you have done. All of us thank you, not just for bringing all of us together, but you two take the fight to people we could have never imagined fighting. I have a daughter about your age. She will grow up in a better world because of you."

Kim smiled and said "No Mr. Grady. Ron and I wanted to thank all of you. You wore the uniform of this country. You served her with honor, you fought for freedom and those oppressed around this world. All of you are members of a great line of heroes from the Revolution till today. You are the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States. You served her in good times and bad. You served her only to come home and be called names, yet you still stood beside her. All of you are the true heroes of this nation. You are the true superheroes. Thank you." Kim stepped forward and gave Grady a kiss on the cheek.

Mr. Barkin came forward and Ron stepped up to him. "Mr. Barkin, you and I had conversation awhile back and you gave me something and you asked me to take an oath at that time. I just wanted to let you know that I haven't broken that oath. I think of what all of you did for us in that place, the least I can do for you is keep a promise." As Ron said that as he placed his arm around Kim. Mr. Barkin smiled and said "Thanks Stoppable, keep up the good work."

Each of the men of Barkin's group came forward and shook Ron's hand and gave Kim a hug. Mr. Barkin waited till he was the last. He stood in front of the two teens. He stood as rigid and emotionless as they had always remembered him. He stood as silent as he was that afternoon in his office. "You two really are something. Today is a school holiday, and all your friends are out having a good time somewhere, yet the two of you are here." He said quietly. "You fight the worst sort of creeps that I can ever imagine, you go to school, you represent the school on the cheer squad and as mascot. Yet, the one day that you have off from school, you pull out all that you have just to help a bunch of old soldiers. You left something at the dinner last night and I had it framed. It will hang on the wall next to the picture of me and my guys. It tells me that this nation is going to be alright and you two are evidence that. By the way, your tardies are off your record, I wrote a note to your teachers and I told them that you were doing something for me. I will see you two in the morning, on time." Mr. Barkin brought out the framed writing the Kim and Ron had given him that morning and read it.

**They Stand For Freedom**

_**They stand for freedom, near and far,**_

_**Here on earth, and in heaven.**_

_**They loved the Flag that you cherish still.**_

_**They have done their part.**_

_**In step they march in body and in spirit.**_

_**They tried to do their best for us.**_

_**How young they were and proud to be**_

_**Defenders of our Liberty.**_

_**We should be honored**_

_**That they have served.**_

_**May God grant them peace**_

_**And help them through.**_

_**I end with a this request**_

_**Please think of this, while at home and away**_

_**America, please respect their day**_

_**For each Veteran who helped freedom stay.**_

**Thanks Mr. Barkin**

**Kim Possible**

**Ron Stoppable**

He smiled and looked as Kim and Ron walked off across the cemetery. "Yes, sir Captain, it those two are any sign of the youth coming up now, this country is in fine hands."

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Folks, I don't normally get on a soapbox, but today I just wanted to honor the greatest group of people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. They are the members of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. Please if you see someone with a veteran license plate or anything that identifies them as a veteran, please give them a thank you. They deserve that and so much more. This was written as a surprise to a friend. The poem is mine. 


End file.
